


Honey Whiskey Kicking In

by everydayclothes



Series: prentice fucks [2]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Genre: Aftercare, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Aphrodisiacs, Bathing/Washing, Bathroom Sex, Blowjobs, Coming In Pants, Coming Untouched, Edging, Halflings, Hickeys, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, M/M, Overstimulation, Porn with Feelings, Power Play, Sex Pollen, Sex Work, or what happens to sex pollen when bees get to it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:33:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25359259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everydayclothes/pseuds/everydayclothes
Summary: After a stint in fey rehab, Prentice returns to the Material Plane and Rue's bed with a jarful of aphrodisiac honey. Rue, happy to please as ever, indulges Prentice with plenty of hickeys and a little rougher play than last time. As usual, the evening is accompanied by a healthy dose of conversation and therapy.
Relationships: Original Male Character/Original Male Character, Prentice Pathfinder/Rue (everydayclothes)
Series: prentice fucks [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781911
Kudos: 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> if we recently had a conversation about my ao3 account that i absolutely refuse to share. are you happy now with what you have uncovered?
> 
> prentice and rue are both young adults; halflings reach adulthood at 20 but age much more slowly than humans after that.  
> yes i am playing fast and loose with accuracy. my dick is prosthetic and this is fantasy porn.

It's been a long, hard, miserable two weeks recovering in the demiplane, and Prentice has never been so happy to come back to earth. Even if he doesn't exactly have a home to come home to. His head feels significantly better after a barrage of fey healing, his body feels like he's twenty-two again, and, best of all, his patron has left him with a little treat. A jar of fey aphrodisiac honey burns a hole in his pocket as he makes his request for where to reenter the world.

Prentice lands in a clean-ish alley off a quiet street. The lamps are lit in the window of the building across from him. _Tender and Kindling Inn._ The door opens at a touch.

He breathes a deep sigh of relief after passing over a terribly high stack of gold. Rue's door is right upstairs, and his door is just cracked open; the room looks the same as it did months ago, fire and all. Rue is putting a pillow back into its freshly-washed case. He's swearing at it, quietly enough to not disturb the other people but cute enough to make Prentice warm inside. He knocks.

Rue throws the pillow at the bed. "Oh? Come in!"

"She said I could just knock," Prentice says, pushing open the door. "Is that alright? If you're busy -"

Rue shakes his head. "You're in luck, handsome. Just finished freshening up for you." He gives a wide smile. "Prentice, right?"

 _He remembered_. Prentice nods, exhales, smiles back. "Yes. You got me back for more."

"Close the door then and come over!" Rue sits on the bed and pats the spot next to him. Prentice follows. Inexplicably, shyness comes over him as he sits on the soft mattress. How does he get into it, again? Rue has seen him at his most vulnerable, been inside him, touched and tasted everything. He wants that intimacy. He wants the aphrodisiac honey. How does he ask for it? Rue, probably sensing his anxiety, leans closer. "You smell real good, Prentice. New cologne?"

"I can't explain it." He means he _shouldn't_. It's not appropriate to share that he's hopping planes and working for fey. He always comes back smelling a little like it. Will Rue call his bluff the second he pulls out the jar? Will Rue know he’s hiding something?

Rue leans in even closer. Prentice can feel his breath. He smells good, too. "Doesn't matter. I’d still bury my face in your neck. Or between your thighs."

Prentice tilts his head, opening his neck up to Rue, and Rue takes his offer. The new contact makes Prentice whine. Rue runs his fingers up Prentice’s thigh and under his shirt, twisting closer before straddling Prentice’s lap. Prentice lets him. He can breathe, now, with Rue on top. Rue knows how to treat him.

“I’m thinking,” Rue says between kisses, “about you with your knees to your chest. Fucking you with my dick _or_ my tongue. Your choice.”

“I - I have a request,” Prentice says. "I brought something for me to use."

Rue’s eyes light up. "Oh, I'm interested.”

"Well…" Prentice leans over as best he can with a sizeable halfling in his lap and rummages in his bag. The jar is still there, small, heavy. "It's, um, magic. You can say no, if it's too weird. It's an aphrodisiac that lets the user finish a little faster and many more times."

He shows Rue the jar, half-filled with shiny, thick golden liquid. Rue sits back and checks it out. “Horny honey.”

That gets a giggle from Prentice. “Yes. I’ve had it before, I know it’s safe, and I thought I could have a taste first and show you what happens. Maybe you could have some too.”

Rue drums his fingers on Prentice’s shoulder. “How much does it take to get you going? And, uh, sorry to have to ask this, but is it legal?”

“I only need a teaspoonful. Not very much. And yes, as far as I’m aware.”

Rue nods and pushes himself on Prentice, rolling them over. Their lips meet, his hands slide down to Prentice’s waist, his weight enveloping Prentice in warm safety before he straddles his hips and sits up. He takes the jar, unscrews the lid, dips in a finger. Prentice can smell its sweetness already.

He sucks the honey off Rue’s offered finger. It tastes like its fey origins, sweet and heady and slightly floral, and heats his throat without burning as it goes down. He feels it spread like a warm bath, pinking up his cheeks and settling in his belly. He can tell by the way Rue’s breath catches that Rue felt his cock twitch in sudden interest.

Rue watches him curiously as he closes the jar and sets it safely out of the way. “You’re pink already. Faster than I expected.”

Prentice has had it before, but to his credit, it’s been a long time. He forgot how potent it is. Even the slight movement from Rue on top of him makes him shudder, like the honey set his nerve endings alight. He tries to form a reply, something along the lines of “Well, it’s magic,” and ends up whimpering, “Fuck.”

“I’ve got you,” Rue says. He pulls his shirt off in one movement and shakes his curls out of his face. “Now, where do I touch you first? Your ears?” He bends down and licks one, then murmurs into it, “Your neck? Your chest? I just can’t decide.” 

Prentice moans as Rue nuzzles his neck and pushes his hands under his shirt. Rue’s fingers light him up, sending bursts of heat over his skin, and even the lightest brush over his nipples draws out a whine. Rue touches him softly, sensing his oversensitivity, the sound of his warm breath constant in Prentice’s ear. “So handsome. Not every day I’m on top of such a pretty young man…”

“I - oh, fuck - what are you talking about? I think I’m older than you.”

“Probably. I’m thirty-four.” Rue huffs a laugh and scrapes his teeth over Prentice’s neck, derailing his train of thought entirely. His hands keep tracing over Prentice’s chest. His own cock lays heavy over Prentice’s through their pants, and he rubs on him, so gently it could be an accident but enough for honey-drunk Prentice to start dripping. He comes to a decision as Rue kisses his neck again. “Bite me.”

“You sure?”

“Y-yeah. Changed my mind.” Prentice tilts his head over so his neck is even more inviting. Rue kisses him lightly in the spot between his neck and shoulder before biting down. 

Prentice seems to have broken his volume control, judging by the moan he lets out, and Rue presses harder against him at it. He nips at Prentice’s neck, scattering tiny marks that fade in moments, but sucks hard enough to bruise at his collar. Prentice squirms desperately underneath him, whimpering and moaning at every movement. He knows he likes being bitten, but everything is amplified by the honey - and if he admitted it, amplified by the long dry spell it’s been since someone treated him like this. Rue pinches his nipples just as he kisses a newly-forming little bruise. Prentice’s hips jerk upwards uncontrollably.

“I thought you liked it gentle, baby, but _fuck_ you’re noisy tonight,” Rue murmurs. Prentice blushes. He does. He liked how gentle and loving Rue was last time, but he’s been treated gently and lovingly for two weeks now while recovering, and he’s sick of it. “Well, I’m feeling different tonight. I like being submissive.”

Rue stills. Is he surprised? “I like that too. Anything else I can do for you? Teasing, scratching, edging…”

“I want to hand over everything to you so I don’t have to think or worry,” says Prentice in a breath. “I want you in control. Uh...you can tease me. Verbally and physically. Edge me, even if I beg for it, which I plan to do shortly because of this fucking _honey_. Please?”

“So you’re a pillow Prentice.”

It takes him a second to get the pun, but then the breathless giggling starts, and Rue joins in, stretching one hand out to clasp Prentice’s. “I can make that happen, baby. You got me so hard making those noises. All you have to do is lie there, okay? Can you do that for me?”

Prentice nods. Rue stands up, still over him on the bed, and takes his pants off. Prentice drinks him in. Rue is lovely to look at. He gets back on his knees, not letting his plump ass touch Prentice’s aching dick, and makes smug eye contact as he wraps his hand around himself. Prentice can practically feel that hand on his own cock. He groans low in his throat at the idea of relief.

“How’s your view?” Rue purrs, fucking his hand steadily. “I like my view a lot. Cute little Prentice blushing under his freckles and wishing he were my hand instead. You want me, don’t you? You want my dick _so_ bad.”

Prentice nods again, nearly panting. Rue sits down on his lap, sending another flood of sensation through Prentice’s body. His weight, his warmth, his motion back and forth as he jacks himself off, it all pushes Prentice closer to the edge. 

Rue lifts off him again and leans forward. Prentice’s hips chase after him uselessly, but Rue distracts him with a deep kiss. He groans softly with satisfaction, nibbles on Prentice’s lower lip, squeezes Prentice’s hips between his legs. Rue’s too much. Prentice is gone. He moans uncontrollably into Rue’s mouth, his mind a blur of surprise and relief, soaking the front of his underpants. Rue reaches down to rub him, murmuring, “There you go, baby," and the toe-curling, shuddering pleasure keeps rolling over him.

Some long moments later, Prentice says, “Fuck,” then, “I’m forty-two.”

Rue laughs. "Alright. How’d that feel?"

"Intense," says Prentice. "I can’t, um, usually cum untouched, and...usually I go soft afterwards."

"You're still -" Rue looks down, exhales hard. "Do you happen to have a name for your horny honey supplier? I could definitely add that to my repertoire."

Even now, with most forms of thought wiped from his brain, he knows it's a bad idea to tell the truth. "No, sorry. Gift from my boss."

"Mm, your boss’s almost as invested in your sex life as mine, huh?"

Prentice shrugs it off. His patron _is_ quite interfering, but it comes from a place of omnipotent care for his wellbeing, and he doesn’t mind that much. He reaches up and puts his fingers through Rue’s curls and tugs him back down into a kiss. Rue kisses back.

“I want you to do something for me, Prentice,” Rue murmurs, a few beats later. Prentice nods. Rue’s hair is a halo around his face, his pretty brown eyes capturing Prentice’s attention so thoroughly that Prentice doubts he can turn down whatever Rue says next. “I want you to hold back while I undress you. Don’t moan, don’t curse, don’t beg for me, and don’t cum, not until I tell you to let go. Can you do that?”

“Yes, I can stay quiet.”

Rue traces Prentice’s jawline and runs his finger over a reddened bite. “Gods, you look so fucking hot like this. You can’t even see yourself. You’re blushing, you got those well-kissed lips, your hair’s all messed up, your collar definitely can’t hide all those marks. I almost feel bad for you having to walk home looking this messy…” 

Prentice expected, a few moments ago, to find it relatively easy to be undressed without making a sound. He changes every day - well, every few days, at least, definitely - with barely a shiver from the cold. Prentice was wrong. Rue can’t undo a single button without making Prentice want to yell. 

Still straddling him, Rue picks up his hands to loosen the wrists of his shirt, coupled with slipping two of Prentice’s fingers in his mouth and sucking. Somehow the honey has made his fingers a fresh erogenous zone. Rue wiggles to get himself settled on Prentice’s lap before unlacing the top of his shirt. Prentice bites his lip to successfully avoid whimpering, but fails to stop his hips from bucking up. Rue tugs Prentice up and takes his shirt all the way off, but doesn’t let him lie back down, holding him chest to chest instead.

"You're doing great, baby," Rue murmurs, tipping Prentice's chin up. He’s still hard. Prentice can feel it between them. "You can answer me out loud. Do you wanna be fucked or ridden? I'm down for either."

"Fucked," says Prentice. "But missionary this time. I, uh, want to look at you."

Rue beams and kisses him again before letting him drop back down. He flips around, straddling Prentice’s belly, to undo the buttons of his pants and pull them all the way off. Rue spends a little more time than necessary letting the waistband rub over the head of Prentice’s cock, which almost makes Prentice lose his composure entirely, but he manages to grit his teeth enough to hold a desperate moan back. When Rue leans down and brushes against Prentice’s dick with his belly, Rue hums. “Fuck, you’re really wet.”

“I -”

“Shh. You’re back to being quiet for me, remember?” Rue puts Prentice’s clothes aside and moves to sit next to Prentice. “Oh, baby, I know it’s hard. You wanna beg, don’t you.”

Prentice nods hard, his face crumpling as Rue slides a hand up his inner thigh. He’s so, so turned on. He knows, with the way things are going, he’s going to end up finishing early and untouched again, and the usual methods of staving it off don’t seem to be working. He can’t think of anything but Rue, Rue’s hand on his thigh, how Rue’s fingers will feel soon prepping him. It’s perfect. Rue hums again. “I know you want me inside you pretty bad. I bet you’re wishing I’d just hurry up.”

Prentice nods again, and Rue, damn him, runs his finger over his cockhead and licks that finger clean of precum. Prentice can’t stop himself from moaning. A self-satisfied smirk plasters itself on Rue’s face. “Guess I found your limit.”

Every shred of dignity or pretense has long since flown out the window with the honey. Prentice lets out a choked whine. “ _Please_ , Rue. Please fuck me? Please.” 

“Legs up. I can’t resist those pretty eyes.” Rue slides off the bed with brisk urgency. Prentice thinks, _Neither can I,_ and puts his legs up while Rue gets the lube. He knows he’s not going to last for more than one knuckle. Rue could finish him off by breathing on his dick at this point. He closes his eyes and imagines Rue hopped up on honey, red-cheeked and panting as he spills over and over inside him, on his belly, on his thighs, on his face…

“Ready?” asks Rue.

“Yeah.”

Prentice surprises himself by not cumming until Rue’s a full finger deep. He surprises himself all over his chest, and a bit on his chin. 

“Fuck, you’re so hot,” Rue murmurs. He casts the cantrip with that finger, thrusts a few times, adds another finger. “You’re opening faster this time around. Been practicing?”

Prentice needs a few seconds to remember how to talk, but he replies, “Yeah, a little. Slept with an ela - elf.”

Rue whistles, adds more lube and a third finger. “Tell me you were careful, babe. And, um, if you’re planning on doing it again, I got a lube I can recommend you. Enchanted. Opens you up nice and easy for us to take bigger folk.”

"Th-thanks," Prentice says, his legs trembling furiously. Rue leans down and licks Prentice's cock a few times, lapping up the drips, and winks up at him when Prentice moans. He presses the backs of Prentice's thighs to open him up further, and, in one smooth motion, slides his cock inside.

Another uncontrollable, messy sound comes from Prentice as Rue starts fucking him properly. Someone on the other side of the wall could hear him, he knows that, but he can't stop himself. Rue feels made to fit him. His body is warm and solid as he lies on Prentice to kiss him and shut him up. The rush of his heightened sensitivity and Rue's skill makes him desperate. He doesn't want this to end.

He sobs out a plea and cums a third time, feels it stick between their bellies. Rue groans. "Can't believe you're still going."

"Please don't stop."

"You're gonna push me over the edge if you keep this up," says Rue, smiling. "I got enough to keep you satisfied after I finish, though. I got you."

Rue doesn’t cum yet. His fingers twine with Prentice’s, bracing himself to fuck Prentice harder. His teeth scrape over sensitive skin, mapping out the bruises and bites already covering Prentice’s shoulders and chest, kissing his peaked nipples. Eventually, he pulls his hand away, slides it down Prentice’s flank and sinks his nails into his hips to gain leverage. Prentice whimpers. His legs kick weakly as Rue rubs against the spot. It’s too much to bear; Prentice's body goes taut, toes curling and fingers flexing on Rue's back, shuddering as he teeters on the edge. Rue nuzzles his neck. "Go on, baby."

Prentice can't reply, whimpering, tensed up in limbo. He's so close. He thinks he might pass out from sheer exhaustion after this one; relief is inches away, but he's not there yet. He only whines, unable to take what Rue gives him.

"Are you having trouble?"

He nods and shudders again.

"It's okay, baby. I know how that feels. Just let go and feel me, okay? If you get too focused on cumming, your brain makes it harder than it needs to be."

Tears spring to Prentice's eyes, but he does as Rue says, focusing on the stretch and fullness of Rue inside him. Rue gasps, squeezes Prentice close, and fills him with shaky thrusts. He's hot and messy and delicious as he kisses him open-mouthed and moans into it. Finally, the stimulation calming to an easier level, Prentice can break.

He comes back to himself with Rue soft inside him and their skin cooling from the sweat. "Looks like you came dry," Rue murmurs. "I'm not surprised. Feel better now?"

"Mmh," says Prentice. "'M done?"

"Looks like it, you’re soft and everything. Aw, baby, you look exhausted. Four times is plenty." Rue pulls out and grabs a towel to clean up. "Sit on this. Good boy."

Prentice smiles wearily and sits up on the towel, propping himself upright with one hand. Rue kisses his forehead. He slides his hand down Prentice's arm to his free hand, squeezes it, lets go to get out of bed, and puts on a robe hanging on the wall. Prentice hadn't noticed them before, but there's a few, two in the size for halflings and two in varying larger sizes. Rue tosses him the other halfling robe. "Just sit there for me for a minute. I'm gonna draw us a bath. Put that on if you feel exposed, and before you leave the room, okay? It's just downstairs."

"That sounds wonderful, thanks," says Prentice. His voice croaks. Did he really exhaust his throat that much? He hadn't even sucked Rue's cock as an excuse. Warmth suffuses his cheeks as Rue picks up Prentice’s clothes, cracks the door open just enough to slip through, and leaves. He was _definitely_ overheard if he moaned loud enough to hurt his throat.

A few minutes later, Prentice feels that everything that was going to come out has done so, so he folds the soiled towel and leaves it on the floor at the foot of the bed. He lies back and waits for Rue. A little part of his brain suggests that he pose for Rue when he returns, the same way Rue does for him. The effect, he discovers, is slightly ruined by the fact that his limbs are shaking and he's naked but unseductively flaccid. Nothing is left to the imagination. Prentice flops backwards and, for the first time while here, lets his mind wander.

Two weeks ago, Prentice awoke with a conviction that someone was using his skull as mining practice. He was in the demiplane, lying on a cot, feeling the sickest he'd ever felt. His patron came to him with a disappointed expression. He felt guilty for causing it, somewhere, but he was in too much pain to apologize, speak, or care.

She did something that made him fall asleep, and when he woke again, he could sit up and formulate thoughts and hear every word of her scolding. He could understand what his punishment was. At that moment, he did not realize exactly how much it would change him.

Rue knocks. "Hey, Prentice. The bath's ready when you are."


	2. Chapter 2

Prentice puts the robe on and stumbles getting to his feet, still shaky. His bare feet step silently on the wood floor. Rue catches his hand and holds it as they walk down to the bathing room, on the first floor; it's foggy and warm from the hot water of the bath. The bathtub itself is sized for two larger adults, more than enough for himself and Rue to share. On the side, a small table holds clean rolls of washcloths, bars of soap, bottles of scented hair oils. A frosted window on the other side of the room is dark now, but it’s probably lovely in the mornings. It looks better than any bath Prentice has ever taken. Rue locks the door and lets the robe slip off his shoulder. "Should I join you?"

"Please," Prentice says. "Um, do you want me to touch you at all?"

Rue laughs. "I'd be happy if you want to. No pressure, though. I’m here for  _ you _ ."

"I might...want to. I feel awkward lying there without giving something back."

Rue steps forward and undoes the tie of Prentice's robe. His hand presses against Prentice's newly bare chest. "Mm, in that case, I'm all yours. Wanna get in the tub and do it with your hands? Get on your knees and suck me off? Let me grab the lube so you can bend me over?”

Prentice's breath quickens. Shyly, he kneels in front of Rue, parts his robes. Rue takes them off entirely. He threads his fingers through Prentice's hair with one hand, while the other holds his cock up to Prentice's lips.

"I like this angle," Rue tells him. "Go on when you're ready, and tell me where I can finish. I'll wash you up after. And yes, I did clean my dick first, I wouldn’t do you dirty like that."

Prentice whines and leans forward to take his first lick. Rue tastes pleasant and clean as promised. He wraps his lips halfway down the shaft and licks the head, feeling the heat and weight build as Rue hardens in his mouth. Precum drips on his tongue, and above him, Rue swears and flexes his fingers in Prentice’s hair.

Prentice reaches up with one hand to cup his balls and imitate what Rue did for him. He wraps his other hand around the shaft and works him for the length his mouth can't take. Rue is big enough to be a challenge. He hasn’t gone down on anyone in a while, but he hasn’t heard complaints yet, so he must be doing okay. That eladrin he slept with, during those two weeks, the one he told Rue was an elf - he was far too big for Prentice to even try. Rue’s apparent ability to sleep with anyone of any size impresses him. 

"I, uh, still need to know where I can finish," says Rue. Prentice pops off and kisses the tip. "Cum on my face, but  _ not  _ in my eyes or hair, please. I don’t like feeling forced to swallow."

"Gotcha." Rue smiles. "You're adorable."

“Thank you.” Prentice licks him again and keeps jerking him off with one hand. “I have a question.”

“Yeah?”

“How many times do bigger people ask you to do oral while standing?”

That gets a laugh out of Rue. “Too many times to count. I kinda wish people would diversify their halfling fetishes. I  _ also  _ like taking oversized dick, topping people way bigger than me, and just having sex without my size being part of it. Like with you.”

Prentice thinks for a few seconds. “What’s the biggest size difference you’ve ever done?”

“Hm. Let’s say...four feet? He was over twice my height, but I didn’t...I didn’t ask a...a number - Prentice, I can’t talk when you’re doing that -”

Prentice can’t reply with his mouth that full. Despite repeated efforts, he hates the feeling of Rue on the back of his throat, so he takes as much as he can and no further. He definitely has no clue how to satisfy someone over twice his height. Rue moans and twitches his hips forward. Prentice lets him. He tastes more precum, guesses that Rue is getting closer. He reaches for Rue’s hand, and Rue holds it, rubbing his thumb over Prentice’s hand and squeezing it as he moans again.

"Oh, fuck," Rue pants, and he pulls out of Prentice’s mouth to spill on his face. Prentice closes his eyes and opens his mouth to catch it. When Rue’s all done, Prentice licks everything within reach of his tongue and says, “Good to know I can still do that."

“You’re hot  _ and  _ you can suck cock,” says Rue, still breathing hard. “Care to become a regular?”

“I'd like that. You’re very good.”

“You are too. I’d be down to try the honey, if you wanted.”

Prentice gives a little smile. “I’ll consider it. Thank you. We should bathe now.”

“Please." Rue offers him a hand up and helps Prentice's robe fully off. They step into the tub together. Goosebumps form on Prentice's skin as he immerses himself, bit by bit, into the hot water. Rue follows him down and sits beside him. It's so large that it could probably fit two humans, so there's plenty of space, but Rue didn't fill the tub so high that Prentice feels like he needs to swim.

Prentice groans with satisfaction as he leans into Rue. "This is  _ very _ pleasant."

"Glad you like it," says Rue, stealing a cheek kiss. "Can I wash you?"

"Yes, please." Prentice relaxes. Rue wades on his knees to the shelf beside the tub with soap, lathers up his hands, and seats himself in Prentice's lap to wash him.

Quiet splashes, soft breathing, and muffled talking in the hall are the only sounds that meet Prentice’s ears as Rue washes him. He starts with Prentice’s head, gently wipes his messy cheeks clean, massages his scalp. He moves down to Prentice’s shoulders and presses into his tensed muscles. He washes Prentice’s chest as softly as he can, but Prentice still winces as the washcloth passes over fresh bruises. Rue mouths "sorry" and moves on.

The bath is pleasant, and so is Rue. Prentice has been thoroughly tired out from all the sex, and he probably couldn’t get it up even if he wanted to, but Rue is simply...appealing to look at. He looks. It’s dawned on him that, given that Rue's brand of personal attention has been hard to come by recently, Prentice is getting a hint of a crush. It has also dawned on him that his honesty in the last session, short and wordless though it was, made him feel _amazing_. Rue did not shame him, or tell him to get back to work, or pry at him in a way he had not asked for. He got to safely cry in Rue's arms.

He sighs and says, because Rue will listen to him, "Rue? I lost my job two weeks ago."

"Shit," says Rue. He sets the washcloth aside and moves to sit next to Prentice. "The one with your wonderful boss?"

"She's still close with me, but...yes. It hurts. It was my fault. I have enough money to stay afloat for a while, but I need a job, and to settle...I've been traveling for so long. I don't know how." Prentice lets Rue feel for his hand, lets him squeeze it. "This made me feel better. You being nice and lighthearted makes me feel better. I needed this."

"I'm glad I help you. Hey, I'd put in a good word with my boss, if I thought you'd enjoy my job -"

"Would I get you for free if I worked here?"

"I would charge you extra since I’d know you could afford it,” teases Rue. Prentice smiles. "No, I'm joking. I was a bartender once, I can relate to the part of your job that requires you to be an open ear, but I’m just too particular about sex to sell it."

"Would you want to be a bartender again?"

“I didn’t like it very much, so no,” he says, a half-truth. He  _ did  _ like it. It felt purposeful. It also felt like headaches, answering calls while desperately trying to compose his voice, shamefully tallying up at the end of the week how much stock was consumed by someone not a customer. It’s not a job he would take again.

“There’s plenty of opportunities out there. I believe in you.” Rue stands up and wrings out his curls. “It’s just about time to wrap up, baby. See me again soon?”

“I will try.”

Rue leaves him bundled in a towel to fetch their clothes. They dress themselves. Already, Prentice is calculating how soon he can come back. He could come tomorrow, but Rue is a treat that’s easy to overindulge on, and he wants to save him for later. His gold would stretch longer if he camped outside town, kept to cheap food, and used his hand when he needed to unwind. His patron won’t support him forever while he’s not serving her well.

"I was out of practice, by the way," Prentice says as he laces his boots. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you all the way in my mouth."

Rue looks surprised. "Oh! I wouldn't have known. You know, that’s just a party trick. Most people never do it and still suck dick just fine. As long as you don't use teeth, it's good." He offers a hand to Prentice to help him stand. "Um, if it so happened that you were a virgin until a few months ago, I would  _ never  _ judge."

Prentice reddens. "I already told you I'd paid for sex before, twice!"

"Sorry." Rue raises his hands. "Didn't mean anything."

"...No, you’re close enough, anyway,” says Prentice. He stands back up, fully dressed. “I don’t...do it often. Sometimes not for years. I don’t like giving myself the time, I suppose. Too indulgent.” He sighs before adding, “I would really like to come back.”

Rue hugs him. Prentice hugs back. Rue’s hair smells so, so good.

Prentice leaves a tip on his way out. Rue deserves it. The tent he has set up right outside the town’s walls is decently warm, and it feels wonderful to be properly clean from that bath. Most travelers’ bedrolls smell from regular use. His does not, even though he’s owned it for years, and as he buries his face in the thick fur he wonders why he hasn’t taken a good sleep sooner. 

When he sleeps, he dreams. Prentice usually dreams of the end times or of his patron, but tonight, he dreams of sweet-smelling chestnut curls and the warmth of a halfling pressed against him.

* * *

Rue heads back upstairs to his room and strips the sheets. He carries them out in a bundle to the laundry room and carries fresh sheets back in. The way he arranges the blankets is an art, wanting the room to look unsterile and seductively tousled without implying that anyone else could have rolled in the bed with him before. He blows out the candles and douses the fireplace with the bucket, changes into clothes that don’t let half his chest peek out, and grimaces as he swallows down three potions. Prentice, and all the others, pay for him to be healthy.

It’s nearly midnight. Rue heads over to the tavern that always serves him dinner, fidgeting with the ends of his leather bracelet. He likes it because it almost never serves his clients, and Rue does not enjoy eating while some poor horny sap glares at him over their rum for daring to have a life outside his work. The place is almost empty. Rue gets his plate loaded within minutes and sits up at the bar to eat.

“How’s work, Ruben?”

“Good,” he answers. “The one I like came back. With a fey aphrodisiac. Good stuff.”

“Gonna fall for someone else?” 

Rue shakes his head and twirls a forkful of potatoes. “I don’t like him like that. Mostly I hope he’ll get better. He’s not doing too good.”

“Are they ever?”

He takes a sip from his mug. “Not really.”


End file.
